Shifting Love (The Foundation, Book 1) [Mass Market Paperback]

Constance O'Day-Flannery (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 2, 2004

Constance O'Day-Flannery is back, and better than ever with this new tale of magic and love.

Maggie O'Shea knows that because of her dark past, there's no place for love in her life. She owns a successful store in Philadelphia, where she uses her special gifts to help the people she meets. Though this doesn't fulfill her, she is content. Most of the time.

Entrepreneur Julian McDonald runs an empire. He's rich, cynical, bored-and not interested in relationships. He was in love, once, but since her death, there's been no space in his heart for anyone else.

Maggie knows as soon as she meets Julian that she could fall in love with him. But a secret society devoted to bringing the world back into balance has a mysterious agenda for Julian-and doesn't care about the heart's wish of a vulnerable shapeshifter...

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

O'Day-Flannery (Here and Now, etc.), mistress of the time-travel romance, kicks off Tor's new paranormal romance line with this compelling but sentimental tale. At the age of 20, Maggie O'Shea, a shape-shifter who can change from human form into a multitude of animal forms, learned about the unconditional nature of love from fellow shape-shifter Marcus Bocelli, who took her under his wing. Fourteen years later, Maggie owns a Philadelphia bookstore and occasionally works for Marcus, her sometimes lover, healing the hearts of cynical men so they may move on and find their true love. Maggie's latest assignment from Marcus, to ease the pain of wealthy widower Julian McDonald, draws her close to Julian as she forces him to open up about the deaths of his wife and son. Their subsequent love scenes, while explicit, are tastefully written and filled with emotion. Tension arises, however, from Maggie's belief that she must eventually leave Julian so that he can find his "true love." A subplot focusing on Sen. Gabriel Burke's desire for Julian to be his political successor adds depth and intrigue to the supernatural elements. Though this tale may be too tame for fans of paranormal romance mavens Christine Feehan and Sherrilyn Kenyon, it should please those who appreciate a traditional romantic plot arc, as the author focuses primarily on romantic tension and the sacrifices of real love.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Tor debuts its new paranormal romance line with best-selling O'Day-Flannery's tale of a shape-shifter who works for a mysterious foundation that has been trying to enlighten humankind for centuries. Magdalene O'Shea, who fears that she is destined to end up alone because of her shape-shifting abilities, owns a self-help bookstore, but her secret mission is to teach men to love. While she loves her unknowing clients, she doesn't fall in love until she meets talented businessman and widower Julian McDonald, the mysterious foundation's secret pick for their next political insider. Things nearly end in disaster, however, when they fly to Julian's Bermuda home and Maggie goes for a midnight swim as a dolphin and is captured in a fishing net. When she is rescued by Julian's housekeeper in barracuda form, she discovers that there are other women shape-shifters who have found love. This combination of romance, adventure, and the paranormal is especially enticing because of its hints of a Da Vinci Code-like secret society. Diana Tixier Herald
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Tor Paranormal Romance; First Edition edition (November 2, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765348896
• ISBN-13: 978-0765348890
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,392,371 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars good but not to my taste, November 16, 2004

By 

Wm19 (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shifting Love (The Foundation, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

This book has three strong themes: shape-shifting, a Da-Vinci-Code-secret society out to save humanity, and a journey to self-discovery theme.

This was a good book. Basically, there's a "Foundation" of shapeshifters throughout time who try to quietly save humanity, and they do so in different ways. One way is to "save" bitter, cold people, who may one day be playing important roles, by making them fall in love with someone from the Foundation who teaches them the right path/how to love again.

That's where the heroine Magdelena comes in. Her assignment this time is to "save" Julian, a powerful man who is unknowingly being groomed for an important role. She has to make him fall in love for her, and learn to love again. Of course, they fall in love, and there's another handsome shapeshifter in the picture.

Okay, it was a good book, but it wasn't for me. First of all, I like to read paranormal for the sheer magic and edginess (think Sherrilyn Kenyon or Laurell K. Hamilton). This book was really sentimental. The kind of book that's about a person's journey to self-discovery. Like the movie "Under the Tuscan Sun", which I wouldn't touch with a long stick. There was a lot of introspection, and very little action or excitement. Secondly, I'm not into the Christian overtones (secret society out to serve in the misunderstood name of biblical Magdalene). Third, I didn't like the idea of teaching men to love other women by sleeping with them then leaving them. The overlay of religious tones, public service and sexual education reminded me of the Kushiel trilogy by Jaqueline Carey, except that it didn't work for me in this modern setting book. I didn't like the idea of the heroine sleeping with these men over the last fourteen years, because someone told her to do so in the name of love/service.

So if you like journey-to-self-discovery themes like "Under the Tuscan Sun" or Nora Roberts books, or you liked books like the "Da Vinci Code" (which I haven't read, but apparently there are similar themes) or you don't mind the love-'em-and-leave-'em approach, then this one may be for you.

On the other hand, if this is a sample of what Tor's new paranormal romance line is going to be like, it's definitely better written than Harlequin's Bombshell series, which also features paranormal elements and some action.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More than just a romance, November 13, 2004

By 

Mary Beth Mcmanus "marybethmcm" (North Palm Beach, FL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Shifting Love (The Foundation, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

The first romance books I ever read were time travels by Constance O'Day Flannery. Her early books took me on adventures full of love and romance, opening up a whole wonderful genre to me.

Just when I was starting to think that romance (at least the genre) had gotten boring and stale, and had nothing left to offer me, Ms. O'Day Flannery comes along and opens a new world to me again.

SHIFTING LOVE is not just about finding a lover and a happily ever after. This book truly explores the nature of love and life, and how opening your soul and truly living is our only purpose here.

There are other reviews that can give you a synopsis of how this story unfolds, but they can't tell how renewed you will feel after you read it. SHIFTING LOVE is a book that is filled with joy, insight and most importantly, hope.

Over the yeas I have recommended alot of books to friends. I have even lent out a few. This is one of the rare times where I will actually go and buy a bunch of these books, hand them to the people I love, anbd make them read.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A big messy steaming heap..., December 25, 2005

By 

She Reads and Dreams - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shifting Love (The Foundation, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

It took me at least four or five tries to read this book as I'd get frustrated and annoyed with the characters, the storyline, the plot, and well, everything!

I agree with other reviewers that the premise of a secret society and shape shifting are quite unique and interesting, and Maggie's shop "Soul Provisions" and the description of her apartment captured my interest.

However, the good stuff stopped there. Maggie's preoccupation with the mysterious lover from her past was very confusing - I kept wondering if they were going to get back together and the new love interest would be kicked to the curb. That didn't happen of course, and Maggie went the old "accidently I'm pregnant" route and then there was a misunderstanding and then of course, the hero rides in on a white horse (metaphorically speaking) and it all works out.

The problem with this book is that it is your basic Harlequin romance story with a couple of "paranormal" elements dropped in, such as the shape shifting, the "preparing men for their next great love" and this secret society business. It's messy and silly.

The book is a very hit and miss affair with many, many, many misses! It's truly one of the worst books I've ever read. But I can see by reading the other reviews that some other people loved it so....to each their own!